SUWA ONBASHIRA FESTIVAL 1992

Since ancient times, the magnificent Onbashira Festival (Nagano Prefecture, Japan) has been held only once every six years, in the years of the Tiger and Monkey. The festival revolves around felling large trees in the mountains, hauling the logs down to Shrine compounds and then revering them as gods. The festival is made up of a number of ceremonies and rituals, such as the Ki-otoshi (log chute), Kawa-goshi (river crossing) and Tate-onbashira (raising of the pillar). This film is a complete record of Onbashira, the biggest pillar-raising festival in the world.